Forever and Always
by MissLovelyPrincess
Summary: A collection of KashinoXIchigo fanfics. CH2: "Kashino groaned. It was all too obvious, Lemon had sent them on a date." Lemon insists Kashino and Ichigo take a break from their sweets shop. But Kashino would never have expected for it to turn out like this... (Hiatus)
1. A Secret Valentine

**Me: Gomen, gomen! I've been gone for so long... T.T**

**Kashino: Perfect. I was finally having some peace until YOU decided to write this.**

**Me:**** Well, your peace is over! MUAHAHAHA- I mean... _about the story. _*Smiles innocently* This is an awesome story and... fine, I admit it. It's completely horrible.**

**Kashino: Great minds think alike! Although honestly, mine is like ten million times greater than yours. :P**

**Me: I think you mean to say mine is ten million times greater than _yours._ Well, hope you like the story!**

* * *

_He slipped the heart-shaped card into Ichigo's bag and smiled to himself._

_Then he disappeared into the shadows._

_And he was gone._

* * *

"Finished!" Ichigo smiled, closing her French textbook. She was just about to put it back into her bag when she noticed it.

Peeking out from inside her bag was something that didn't quite seem to fit in with the pink satin.

Curious, the brunette looked closer. Her heart nearly stopped when she realized what it was.

A valentine.

Ichigo's heart nearly stopped. Had someone...

…Made it for her?

Ichigo shook her head. No, it couldn't be. Someone had made a mistake. Valentines were for people in love. And Amano Ichigo was _not _in love.

But then who was it for?

It wouldn't hurt to take a peek, would it? After all, this was all a big mistake.

Or was it…?

With shaking hands, Ichigo opened the card. There was simply one sentence written one it.

_For my sweet strawberry._

On the card was a small package. With trembling hands, Ichigo opened it.

Inside was a heart-shaped chocolate.

Ichigo placed it in her mouth. Instantly, she was enclosed with a strange sense of happiness.

_This feeling… It's so strange, yet I want it to last forever… _Ichigo slipped the valentine under her pillow.

She had no idea that it was the beginning of something incredible...

* * *

Ichigo sighed, setting her bag down onto her desk.

She had watched it from the corner of her eye until class was over. And all that time, it remained untouched.

_Maybe this was all a mistake. Maybe that valentine was never meant for me at all._ Ichigo untied the two ribbons holding up her pigtails, letting her chocolate brown hair fall freely to her shoulders.

Ichigo sighed. She knew she should have been glad that all this 'romance' was over. But somehow, deep within her heart, there was a part of her that wished this wasn't just an accident.

That there was someone in the world who truly loved her.

* * *

It was the third morning when the valentine caught her by surprise.

There it was, laying on her pillow.

_So the first one really was meant for me..._

The brunette took a deep breath. Then slowly, she opened the valentine. Her eyes widened at the small object inside.

_A chocolate kiss… _Ichigo blushed at the thought of it. _H-He made it for me?_

There was only one question left…

Who was it from?

* * *

Two days and it would be valentines day.

Ichigo took out the five valentines from under her pillow.

She opened the first chocolate with shaking hands. Closing her eyes, the Pâtissière placed it in her mouth.

It was indescribable. Her senses were enveloped in a strange but beautiful sweetness. The creamy milk chocolate and the strawberries fit perfectly together.

Instantly, she knew she was the strawberries.

But who was the chocolate?

* * *

Ichigo raced into her room. It was valentines day. Now she would receive her final valentine.

She scanned over her desk, expecting to see the usual heart-shaped card.

But it was missing.

In place of the valentine were two objects.

A letter.

A pink rose.

Her heart racing, Ichigo unfolded the card.

* * *

_Ichigo,_

_Meet me at the lake this afternoon._

_-Your secret admirer_

* * *

Ichigo's eyes widened. Now she was finally going to be able to answer the one question that meant the world to her…

The brunette closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

Then she ran.

She ran and ran until she could barely run anymore. But she didn't stop. Not until she found herself standing by the lake.

There was only one other person there.

Ichigo looked closer. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized who it was.

"K-Kashino?" Ichigo stuttered, her cheeks turning a light pink. "You're my secret valentine?"

The blonde nodded slightly, not turning his gaze from the still water.

"But w-why? Why did you give those valentines to me?"

"Just as a thanks for being a great Pâtissière," Kashino lied.

Ichigo's eyes pooled up with tears. "Oh." For a moment she had thought he actually cared about her. She stood up to leave.

"Wait, I didn't mean that. Those valentines, I made them because… I-I like you." The words escaped before Kashino could stop them.

Ichigo stopped in her tracks. Had Kashino just told her he… _liked her?_

"But w-why?" She stuttered. "There are so many other girls out there. Prettier, smarter, much more graceful…" A tear slipped down her cheek.

Kashino tilted her face up with a gentle hand. "Because you're special. You're determined, persistent… without you, I never would have gotten this far."

"K-Kashino…" Ichigo sobbed. "I… I…"

Although he never would have admitted it, Kashino couldn't bear to see her cry. He pulled the brunette into a warm embrace. "The truth is, I don't just like you…"

Ichigo felt as if her heart would break. _He doesn't… he doesn't…_

"Because… because I love you, Ichigo!"

Ichigo's heart nearly stopped.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I was just… just scared. Scared that you didn't feel the same way about me…" Kashino looked away.

Suddenly, Kashino felt her lips gently brush against his own. The kiss was so sweet, so beautiful, he never wanted it to end.

When Ichigo finally broke away, she smiled softly. Her chocolate brown eyes glistening in the sunlight. "I love you too, Kashino. And I will- _forever and always."_

* * *

**Me: So, how was it?**

**Kashino: Bad. Very, very, bad. Bad beyond description. At the beginning, Ichigo was very OOC. And then suddenly, she turned all 'sweet' in the end. That's just cheesy. And I don't go around giving valentines to people. That's just STUPID.**

**Me: Gomen... I tried my best! Anyways... when I was new to fanfiction, I made a collection of Kashigo drabbles. But eventually, I deleted them because- well... they were... _terrible._ So I decided to start a new one.**

**Kashino: *Snore***

**Me: -_-" Oh, and I turned 11 1/2 a few days ago! IN HALF A YEAR I'LL BE 12! ^.~ And when you're twelve, you instantly become mature and an amazing writer. There will people who actually care about your stories, and not everyone hates your writing... and you... *Sigh*  
**

**Kashino: I'm supposed to be the pessimistic one here, not you!**

**Me: ...T.T Well, please review! It means a lot to me...**


	2. The Meaning of Life

**Me: I'm so touched! Thank you to all my reviewers and Mikashimotaku… you guys are the best!**

**Kashino: Another one of your cheesy stories. Perfect.**

**Me: Well, I certainly hope this chapter was better than the last one! Hope you like it~!**** ^.~**

* * *

"Come on, Kashino!" Ichigo exclaimed happily.

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Be patient."

What was the hurry, anyways? It wasn't like he actually _wanted _to do this.

Kashino still remembered the smug smile on Lemon's face when she walked up and shoved the advertisement in his face. It was for a trip to some place in the middle of Pacific Ocean. Lemon had told him they should "take a break" from their sweets shop and relax. Then she insisted that he and Ichigo go alone. Because… she had some _other _plans.

And of course, Ichigo fell for it.

Kashino had promised himself he wouldn't go. After all, it was just _stupid._

And not to mention, he was NOT in love with Ichigo. He didn't even like her. But when she had looked at him with those big, pleading chocolate brown eyes...

"Kashino!"

The blonde sighed. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" He stepped off of the plane and looked around.

All around, roses displayed their beautiful red petals. Kashino groaned. It was all too obvious, Lemon had sent them on a _date._

"Kashino, how do I look?" Ichigo spun around, a pink rose in her hair.

For a moment, Kashino's heart nearly stopped. _She's… she's beautiful… _Kashino froze. What was he thinking? It wasn't like he actually _liked _her. Last time he checked, she was a clumsy idiot.

"Come on, let's go." Kashino muttered, dragging the brunette behind him.

"Go where?" Ichigo blinked innocently.

"What do you think we're going to do for the 5 hours we're spending here? Stand and stare into space?"

Ichigo didn't seem to hear a word he had said. "Look, Kashino! It's a chocolate rock!"

"Yeah." He rolled his eyes. "Maybe it's from the Easter Bunny."

"No, it's a special! The strawberries… they're heart shaped!"

The chocolatier glanced at the small object in Ichigo's hand. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. The milk chocolate was perfectly round. But in the very center was two halves of a strawberry, each arranged to form a perfect heart.

"Look! Another one!"

Kashino groaned, reluctantly following the brunette. "Amano, what are you doing? They're just chocolates."

"There's something magical about them." Ichigo's chocolate brown eyes sparkled. "I just know it."

Kashino sighed. Ichigo had the imagination of a five-year old. "Or maybe you're just too much of a cake pig."

Ichigo was too busy collecting the chocolate stones to reply.

Kashino was starting to consider swimming all the way across the Pacific Ocean and back to Japan when he heard Ichigo cry, "KASHINO!"

He spun around and gasped.

Right where the last chocolate lay was a hole.

And Ichigo had fallen inside it.

"Baka," Kashino muttered. He peered inside the hole and sighed. It was no use, the hole was much too deep for him to reach Ichigo. And even if he did, there was _no_ way he could take her out of it.

Not counting the 42 chocolates she ate.

The chocolatier sighed. There was no other way…

Closing his eyes, the blonde slipped silently into the hole.

It was not at all like he expected. At the bottom, the hole opened up into a large pathway. It almost gave him a strange sense of… comfort.

Ichigo coughed, causing Kashino to throw her a worried glance. "Amano, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah…" She replied shakily as he helped her stand up. "But how do we get back up?" Ichigo cast a glance at the distant sunlight above.

For a moment, there was only silence. When Kashino spoke, his voice was quiet. "There's no way.

"No… it can't be true, there has to be..." Even though it was dark, Kashino could tell she was crying.

"Don't worry, I'm sure there's an exit. We'll just have to go on." Kashino tried not to sound as worried as he was.

The brunette nodded.

It was getting darker. Kashino could barely see in front of him when Ichigo took hold of his hand.

"A-Amano!" Kashino's face turned crimson. "W-What did you do that for?"

"Well... it's really d-dark, so I thought it would help if we stayed together..." Ichigo blushed and removed her hand, only to have Kashino pull it back.

"I-I don't mind if you… I mean it's okay if you..." Kashino was at a loss for words.

Ichigo smiled, taking hold of his hand. "It's okay."

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" Kashino asked frantically.

"L-Look!"

In front of them was a sign. Written on it were sixteen words.

**EE EC LM FL GJ** **OK NG IN NI AF EP HB MD IH FO TA**

Kashino stared at them. "What does it mean?" He scanned over the letters, trying to make out a pattern.

Ichigo thought for a moment, then her eyes widened. "I-I get it! The second letter of each word represents a number. A is one, B is two, all the way until Z. The numbers are the order the message is in."

She leaned forward and peered carefully at the letters. "The… M…" wait, I think I have it! It's 'the meaning of life!' If we keep going, we'll find it!"

She started running forward. "Come on, Kashino!"

Yeah, right. The meaning of life_. _Sometimes, Kashino _really_ wondered about the brunette.

"Come on, Kashino! I'm winning the race!" Ichigo called from behind her.

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Since when was there a race?" But nonetheless, he hurried after the brunette. "Hey, no fair! You got a head start!"

When Kashino finally caught up to her, she was standing before a pool of water. "Kashino…" The moment he heard his name, Kashino knew something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

"I-It's no use. It's the end of the tunnel." Ichigo whispered quietly.

"Don't worry, we'll find a way out…" Kashino's voice was shaky.

"I'm sorry, Kashino." A tear slipped down Ichigo's cheek. "This is all my fault. If only I hadn't fallen down that hole, if only I hadn't been such a cake pig…"

"No, it's not. I'm the one who didn't look out for you." Kashino smiled a tiny, crooked smile. "Well, I guess that now we're both stuck here."

Ichigo sighed. "Yeah."

For a moment, there was only silence. Then, Kashino spoke. "Amano… I've never told you this before, but I… I… _I love you,_ Ichigo."

Ichigo's heart nearly stopped. "Y-You what?"

"I just wanted to tell you while I still had a chance." Kashino smiled sadly.

A tear slipped down Ichigo's cheek. "I… I love you too, Kashino."

Kashino was shocked. He never thought he would hear those words. "Y-You do?"

To answer his question, Ichigo pulled the blonde into a kiss. It was indescribable. Beautiful. Amazing.

_Perfect._

And for that one moment, Kashino cared for nothing more. For all he cared, he had finally found the one he loved.

When he finally pulled away, Kashino smiled. "Maybe we won't be able to live our lives the way we want to, but we have each other, right?"

Ichigo nodded, taking his hand in her own. "Right."

For a while, they stared into the silvery waters. They probably wouldn't make it. But they had finally found the ones they loved.

At least there was that.

Suddenly, Ichigo gasped. "I… I think I get it now! Kashino… look into the water. What do you see?"

Kashino peered through the water. "There are ripples in the water... it's very deep-"

Ichigo shook her head. "No, what do you see with your heart?"

Kashino gazed into the water. Then he smiled. "I see... _us._"

"The meaning of life..." Ichigo's voice was barely a whisper. "It's _love."_

Kashino stared at their reflection in the water. Suddenly, it all made sense to him. "Ichigo…"

The brunette's eyes widened as felt the space between them close. And she couldn't help but smile, kissing him back.

That was when it happened. Without warning, they felt themselves surrounded in a blinding light.

When Kashino opened his eyes, they were in the plane. His eyes fell upon the sleeping brunette next to him. "I-Ichigo!"

"M-Makoto…?" Ichigo smiled.

"So it wasn't just a dream, it really did happen! But then, how did we manage to escape that hole?" Kashino trailed off.

"It was… _magic."_ Ichigo whispered.

The blonde grinned. "And you know what else was magic?"

He pulled her into a kiss, a smile still his face. "_This."_

* * *

**Me: Well, what do you think?**

**Kashino: That wasn't as bad as the first chapter. It was TEN MILLION times worse.**

**Me: -.- I figured you'd say something like that…**

**Ichigo: Don't worry, Elise-chan! You tried really hard!**

**Me: Should I continue the series? Or is it too horrible to stand? Either way, please review! Thank you all for reading my terrible writing, you guys are amazing! ^.^**

**~Elise-chan**


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